Our friend Eddy Mann is back with new music and I took a few moments to catch up with him about the new project, Simple Things, as well as ask about the overall response to his last release. Pre-ordering for Simple Things begins on March 6th (2018).
You can find our previous Eddy Mann features here, here and here.
Full Q&A along with music and links below.
It’s been a while since we last spoke, has how the response been to The Consequence?
I’ve really enjoyed supporting ‘The Consequence’ over the past year and a half. The title song has opened up some wonderful opportunities for me, not to mention countless conversations with some really fine people. The album itself has garnered good reviews and has been warmly embraced as a whole. There are a few songs, like ‘All I Need Is You’ and the title song, that are gonna remain in the setlist for the immediate future, and a few that we haven’t done much that’ll probably get a reworking.
Songs have a way of re-entering your life from time to time. As we walk through different seasons, certain songs just sort of nail your emotions. You think you’re all over it, and then somethings happens in your life, and this song’ll just pop into your head and lift you up, or bring you to your knees. So I’m always aware that those quiet tracks can come back and have an extended shelf life.
Tell me about the new album?
I’m excited about the new album ‘Simple Things‘. It’s been finished for some time and waiting for the right moment to be released (which will be April 03, 2018). It came about in a very unique way for me. While visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I was deeply touched by the works of realist painter, Thomas Eakins. Then about a month later I returned and realized that there was an album being revealed in those paintings. When I took the time to let them soak in, there were very concise stories playing out in between the brushstrokes. This all happened a few weeks before I had a planned a winter holiday. So as I packed to leave, I gathered prints of these paintings to bring with me and wrote the first drafts of each song while supposedly taking some time off. These were very simple sketches that I allowed to mature over the next year or so until I secured the session time to record them. I worked on them on and off again all through 2017 until they were finished.
How is this new release different than previous ones?
There are a few things that are different about this project. Number one is the production. My last few albums were recorded as the band would play them live, not much over-dubbing. This time around, maybe because of the simplified melodies and stories, I tracked each song without regard to how they would be performed live. The end result is that at various moments there may be very little in the way of instrumentation, and then at others the layers of sound can get very thick. I definitely used my largest box of crayons on this album.
The other striking difference is that I’ve never done a concept album before. I mean they all have themes that run through them, but this was a conscious effort. I knew going in that this group of paintings, were together, telling a complete story both musically and lyrically.
What are the challenges you face as an indie musician?
Like every artist, we strive to make people feel things. When I’m performing live I get to see the song reaction immediately, but every other media requires some patience. Indie artists as opposed to major artists have to be content knowing that they’re going to receive their feedback in smaller doses, and sometimes not at all. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I have an enormous amount of freedom to write, record and perform what I like. Wherever inspiration leads, I’m free to follow. As a creative, that a heavenly existence. So yeah, I’d like to reach a larger audience, but I wouldn’t trade the peace that comes with being an honest representation of who I am. And in reality I get to control my profit line. I’m not in debt, I make a sweet living and that’ll keep me indie happy.
Where are best places to connect with you online?
Well my website eddymann.com is always the best place to start when keeping tabs on what’s happening and where I’m traveling to next. I’m on facebook at eddymann.musician, and both twitter and instagram at eddy_mann. All the usual online platforms carry my catalog of albums.
The pre-release for ‘Simple Things‘ is March 06, 2018 with the release of the first single ‘The Dancing Lesson.‘ As always I want to encourage fans and friends to be in conversation with me. Feel free to use any of the social mediums to let me know how the single and album touch you. Love on!
